TY - JOUR T1 - Hayfever — practical management issues JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 412 LP - 414 VL - 54 IS - 503 AU - Andrew Ross AU - Douglas Fleming Y1 - 2004/06/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/54/503/412.abstract N2 - IN this month's Journal Owen et al1 compare the effectiveness of topical treatments, namely mast cell stabilisers (cromoglycate, nedocromil and lodoxamide) with topical antihistamines (azelastine, emedastine, antazoline and levocabastine) for the treatment of seasonal allergic conjunctivitis. They conclude that both are effective groups, but that there is insufficient evidence as to whether the benefits of potentially faster treatment with topical antihistamines are worthwhile. The importance of patient preference in deciding on treatment options is noted.Patients with allergic conjunctivitis or rhinitis present at varying times. Some sufferers experience symptoms in April, when tree pollens are abundant. For others, symptoms start with the onset of the grass pollen season, usually in May.2 Grass pollen is the chief allergen, some weed pollens also cause problems and fungal spores may be a factor at the end of the summer. The start of the pollen season varies with weather conditions and is generally later with northward progression. In some years, hay fever is particularly troublesome, for example in 1992.2 This is chiefly because the somewhat fickle weather in the United Kingdom (UK) profoundly affects the level of airborne pollen and smaller fragments of allergenic material, known as paucimicronic particles. The latter have been implicated in exacerbations of asthma around the time of thunderstorms.3 This editorial was written at the end of a very wet April and, so far, hay fever rates are low in the North and average in the South.4 Peak incidence is … ER -